Keep founder spirit while you professionalize

Who this is for

Founder led lower-middle market companies with 5 to 50 million in annual revenue that want speed and customer closeness while adding structure.

The quick answer

Write a one page ways we work that names three behaviours you will protect such as bias to action and close to customers and speak plainly. Bake them into hiring, onboarding, meetings, and reviews. Remove rules that slow work. Add only the few processes that lift quality and cash. Leaders must model the behaviours every week.

The method in seven steps

Name the three behaviours
Pick the behaviours that truly drive wins. Examples include decide with customers, speak plainly, and take ownership. Write one sentence definitions so everyone understands them.
Publish the one page ways we work
Keep it simple. Three behaviours, what good looks like, and what not to do. Post it where people actually work and include it in onboarding.
Embed in people systems
Hire for the behaviours. Add one interview prompt per behaviour. Teach them in onboarding. Include them in monthly one on ones and in quarterly reviews.
Tune meetings to match
Short weekly leadership review with the same agenda. Decisions captured with owners and dates. Remove status meetings that do not drive action.
Trim rules that slow work
Audit approvals, forms, and handoffs. If a rule does not lift quality, safety, or cash, remove it. Replace blanket approvals with clear thresholds.
Add the few processes that matter
Document simple steps for quoting, order to cash, and incident response. Use one page checklists and keep owners visible.
Leaders model the behaviours
Senior people tell customer stories, give clear feedback, and make decisions in the open. When leaders slip, they name it and reset the example.

Example

A services firm wrote a one page guide and removed two layers of approvals on small credits. Leaders started weekly customer calls and shared notes. Cycle time dropped and customer satisfaction rose.

Pitfalls and fixes

A long values deck nobody reads. Use one page and show examples.
Adding heavy process everywhere. Limit to the few that protect quality and cash.
Leaders who say one thing and do another. Hold leaders to the same standards.

Checklist

One page ways we work
Interview and review prompts tied to behaviours
Weekly leadership rhythm that matches the behaviours
Approval and process audit complete
Three one page checklists for core processes